Distillate petroleum products and method of treating the same



atented July 4, 1933 UNIED JAMES B. RATHER AND LESLIE C. BEARD, JR., OFBROOKLYN AND ORLAN M. REIFF, OF JACKSON HEIGHTS, YORK, ASSIGNORS, TOSOCONY-VACUUIVI CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y-, A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK DISTILLATE PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AND METHOD OF TREATING THE SAME NoDrawing.

' No. 151,005, filed November 25th, 1926 and Serial No. 165,546, filedFebruary 3, 1927.

It is well recognized thatdistributors and consumers of the lighterrefined petroleum distillates, notably gasoline and kerosene, insistthat these products be clear and free from discoloration,,gummy materialand odor, as

an entirely distinct and separate matter from the actual capabilitiesand usefulness of the products for the ordinary uses for which they areintended. It is also well recognized that these products, particularlygasoline and kerosene, spontaneously become discolored and odorous andaccumulate a gummy material upon continued exposure to air and thusbecome objectionable to the trade.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a distillatepetroleum prod-- uct, generallythose of A. P. I. gravity higher than 37degrees, and particularly gasoline or kerosene, which will remain clearand free of discoloration, gummy material and odor, without impairmentor lowering of its effectiveness and capabilities for use; and toprovide a simple and inexpensive method of and means for producingdistillate petroleum products having the characteristics and qualitiesreferred to.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent from the followingdescription.

In accordance with this invention, the improved product consists of a.distillate petroleum product, notably gasoline or kerosene, whichcontains a negative oxidation catalyst, or a substance, such as acompound containing carbon, which retards the attainment of equilibriumin a chemical system in which oxidation is the fundamental reaction. Thecatalyst may be added in the still during distilla-- Application filedJune 20,

1930. Serial No; 462,094.

the addition of further oxygen and thus may offset any advantage to begained by the subsequent addition of the negative oxidation catalyst tothe distillate. These objectionable substances, while frequentlycolorless and odorless, are apt to undergo changes which result in thedevelopment ofobjectionable color, gummy material and odor in thedistillates.

The negative oxidation catalyst or catalysts should preferably be of anature such that, when added to the distillate petroleum products insuflicient quantities, they do not affect the color and odor, ormaterially increase the cost of production of the products l to whichthey are added, since such effects would raise commercial objections tothe products. We have discovered that nicotine is effectwo as astabilizer of distillate petroleum products with respect to color, gumformation and odor. v

This compound or agent is preferably dissolved in a suitable solventwhich is miscible with the distillate, such as an aliphatic alcohol,either isopropyl, ethyl or butyl alcohol, or an aromatic alcohol, suchas benzyl alcohol before being added to the product to be treated. A tenper cent solution of the compound or agent in the desired solvent ispreferably thoroughly mixed with the product, and the amount of thesolution to be added may vary from'approximately one part in fivethousand of the distillate to approximately one part in fifty thousand,the exact amount depending upon the amount of stabilization desired, thecharacter of the distillate, i. e., its susceptibility to oxidation, andthe storage temperature.

Preferably, however, not more than approximately one part of compound toten thousand parts of the distillate or 0.01% of the compound should beadded to the product to be treated, and the amount may, in someinstances, be as little as one part of the comound to five hundredthousand parts of the distillate. Care should be exercised, however, tonot add too large a quantity of the compound, otherwise the compoundwill tend" desired. A distillate treated with approxi-.

mately one part of nicotine to as little as approximately two'hundredthousand parts of distillate and allowed to stand for a'period oftwenty-six weeks at 125 F., deteriorated in color from plus 20, asmeasured b the Saybolt chronometer to plus 13, as against adeterioration in color in the case of an untreated distillate of fromplus 20 to Saybolt to minus 4, both the treated and the untreateddistillate being stored under exactly the same 7 conditions, a loss ofseven points in color, in the case of the stabilized oil, as comparedwith a loss of 24 points in the case of the unstabilized oil.

Since the lighter distillate petroleum products, particularly gasolineand kerosene, must be maintained comparatively inexpensive in order tosatisfactorily cope with commercial competition, any .treatment to whichthese products are subjected must be such that the cost of production ofthe products is not increased a prohibitive amount. The method and meansherein disclosed satisfactorily meets this situation since the amount ofnegative catalyst required for the treatment is so small that the costof production of the products is not material. And the products treatedin accordance with this invention may be stored and handled withoutdanger of becoming discolored or odorous or developing gummy substancestherein.

While We have thus specifically described our invention, variousmodifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and itis therefore our intention that the invention be not limited except bythe scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:' 1

1. A low boiling light colored distillate petroleum product of the classof gasoline or kerosene which normally tends to become discolored or toform gummy material under normal commercial conditions of storage andhandling, having added thereto nicotine in quantity suificientsubstantially to delay the aforesaid discoloration or gum formation.

2. A distillate petroleum product suitable for use as a fuel,particularly gasoline or kerosene, of light color and low gum contentbut normally having the objectionable property of becoming discolored orof forming gummy material during storage, which product has had itsaforesaid light color and low gum content substantially preserved byaddition to said product of nicotine in quantity suflicientsubstantially to improve the stability of said product in the matter ofcolor and gum content.

v 3. A low boiling light colored distillate petroleum product of theclass of gasoline or kerosene which normally tends to become discoloredor to form gum during storage, to which product has been added nicotinein amount sufficient substantially to retard discoloration and gumformation but in proportion of not more than 0.01%.

4. A motor fuel of the gasoline-kerosene class which normally tends todeteriorate upon storage, to which has been added nicotine in smallquantity, substantially as described, suificient to eifect stabilizationof the product as to color and gum content, substantially as described.

5. The method of stabilizing the characteristics of a low boiling lightcolored distillate petroleum product of the class of gasoline orkerosene that normally tends to develop color or gum, which comprisesadding there to prior to substantial discoloration or gum formation asmall quantity of nicotine sufficient substantially to retardobjectionable color or gum formation.

6. The method of stabilizing the characteristics of a low boiling lightcolored distillate petroleum product-of the class of gasoline orkerosene that normally tends to develop color or gum during storage,which comprises adding to the said product prior to objectionablediscoloration or gum forma- .tion a quantity of nicotine suflicientsubstantially to retard objectionable color or gum formation and inproportion of not more than 0.01%.

7. The process of treating light colored distillate petroleum products,gasoline and kerosene, to retard deterioration thereof in the matter ofcolor and gum'formation, which comprises adding to the product prior toany nicotine in quantity suflicient substantially to retard theaforesaid deterioration, substan: tially as described.

8. The method of treating a motor fuel of tends to develop color andgum, which comprises adding to said motor fuel prior to substantialdiscoloration thereof or gum formation therein, a small quantity ofnicotine sufficient substantially to retard objectionable coloration orgum formation. p This specification signed this 9th dayof June, 1930.

JAMES B. RATHER. LESLIE C. BEARD, JRQ ORLAND M. REIFF.

substantial discoloration or gum formation 'the gasoline-kerosene class,that normally

